Abraxane (Nab-Paclitaxel), a novel solvent-free taxane with the binding ratio of Paclitaxel to human serum albumin of 1:9, is an anti-microtubule drug that promotes microtubule aggregation in tubulin dimer and inhibits microtubule depolymerization to stabilize the microtubule system.
Treating human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells first with gemcitabine followed by Abraxane (Nab-Paclitaxel) at 48 hours is found to have the greatest inhibition of cell growth.[3]
In mice with human pancreatic cancer xenografts, nab-paclitaxel alone and in combination with gemcitabine deplete the desmoplastic stroma. The intratumoral concentration of gemcitabine is increased by 2.8-fold in mice receiving nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine versus those receiving gemcitabine alone.[4]
[1] Yardley DA, et al. Epub 2013 Jun 11. [2] Lluch A, et al. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2014 Jan;89(1):62-72. [3] Wolfe AR, et al. Clin Cancer Res. 2021 Jan 15;27(2):554-565.